Elk hunting new mexico

[Coues123]

I'm a lucky man. We used to draw about 50% back in the day. Hunted the Gila a lot back then. Drew almost 50% in AZ at that time too. Many times we had double tags, one in AZ and one in NM. NM archery started first and if the rut was slow you ran over to AZ to see what was going on there when it opened. Back and forth you'd go some years and if you were lucky and hunted hard you'd double kill. Good old days

What made those days even better was OTC bow tags in both states. Not near as many deer and elk in most areas today as the 70s and 80s. The NM bow hunt was 21 days. Hunt one state in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Yes, good old days.

 

[Gila]

You saw that too this year with the antlers. 60% of racks had broken tines. Everything above G4 stunted as a general observation. Saw 13 uncollared wolves in one group. Only saw 3 bulls over 360ish this year. Definitely not the quality of many past years.

I was being sarcastic....it was a good year for antler growth...one of the best. I only saw a few with broken swords and that is usual for the rut. The herds did well with the calving season. The snow pack was good and some good spring rain. Not much of a monsoon so some of the smaller tanks dried up in the August-September heat. Still had some good green up though. Pinion nuts and juniper berries were thick. Many of the wolves were captured and taken to Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago.

The remaining wolves have some interesting behavior. Mexican grays are on the move. They don't hang around very long. They will move through the areas starting the middle of September and pick off wounded elk. They are only in an area for a few days and move on. Black Bears in New Mexico get hounded to the point that they stay way back. I have never seen them be a problem for elk. The elk hunting in the Gila this past season was fantastic as usual. It is a well managed area. If it gets screwed up it will be because of all of the "wanna be" guides with arms full of trail cams.

 

[frobert22]

What unit are good to hunt elk in new mexico

Any one you can draw a bull tag in to start.. then use the known 3rd party data aggregation sites to narrow down your search..

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Man, I thought he was walking into a buzzsaw with this question as one of his first posts but there's some decent info here. One thing is apparent though, Mule Deer Hunters are a tighter lipped bunch. . .

New mexico deer hunting

What units are good for deer hunting

www.rokslide.com

 

[BBob]

Man, I thought he was walking into a buzzsaw with this question as one of his first posts but there's some decent info here. One thing is apparent though, Mule Deer Hunters are a tighter lipped bunch. . .

New mexico deer hunting

What units are good for deer hunting

www.rokslide.com

That’s cause its way harder to find a toad of a buck than it is a whopper bull.

 

[Red Letters]

Lazy post to get to 10

if a non resident puts in with a resident in New Mexico are they lumped in with the NR allotment?

 

[Danomite]

Lazy post to get to 10

if a non resident puts in with a resident in New Mexico are they lumped in with the NR allotment?

Yes.

 

[Red Letters]

Yes.

Thanks

 

[BBob]

I drew a 16A or 16D. 1st Rifle season. Is the area that devastated by wolves ?

No.

 

[Gila]

I drew a 16A or 16D. 1st Rifle season. Is the area that devastated by wolves ?

No you won’t have any problems with wolves in those units. Several years ago most of the wolves there were captured and moved to the refuge 150 miles away. There are still a few, but they don’t show up until towards the last week of the 2nd bow hunt. They take out the wounded elk and then move out by first rifle season. Congrats by the way....those are trophy units, make it count!

 

[Mike76]

I had the Great pleasure to meet an outstanding Lady who not only knows but lives amongst the animals in the Gila Unit 16B wilderness with wilderness all around her ranch, and alongside 16 A. She rides those trails like many others do not. She says the outfitters are few and far between compared to some years ago. Like herself broken down and getting up in age and the Hunting has gone so far downhill her outfitter business is more than likely going away after this last winter hunt.
When you get the pleasure to meet such a woman whom I call miss Becky your ears are wide with the enjoyment of the listen to what she has to say. 55 years of riding setting up camps and guiding her few hunters over the years has seen it all come and most gone from what she talks about.
The Wolves each are speaking about destroying the elk calving herd were once true. But listening and taking it all in it goes like this! when the wolves first entered and branched out getting stronger and stronger with the reproductive part of the Wolve families were really starting to take hold on the elk population. As the years went on and watching the slowly demise of the elk herds and carcasses found deep in and Gitting more frequent that the wolf population was taking hold.
Of late she went on to explain how there isn't enough food for the wolves of today and more than most have moved on for better game numbers.
What she sees and believes whole hard idly that it's not the wolves that everyone talks about decimating the herds it's the Bear population in the Gila units that have moved up and gotten so big that they alone are killing the Calf Elk Herds within the Gila Wilderness and Gila's in general. She says it seems that when things go Arye which in some cases are understandable because of what once was. The continuation of blame gets carried through to the wolves, when in reality it's our Bear population. when you hear today when hunters, packers or hikers are asked what they seen its usually Bear siting's much more than any at all Wolf siting.
Now the bust-up elk horns some are chatting about are not from the brittle lack of moisture it's the Rutt which is a very common occasion during the rut. The more moisture that elk country gets the better the Feed not only to fatten the elk herds but also connects with the Horn Growth. All in all, we have a better elk herd if our calves make it through the rough times of growing but, also fatter and much healthier Animals, along with much better Horn Growth.
When we all as Hunters get to speak with someone who really knows the in's and out of a place where they have spent all their lives Packing and Hunting the back country, that is a Stuart of her. mountains it is hard not to pay attention and take all you can from such an awesome lady. I have been Bow hunting for well over 55 years and have met some wonderful people here on these sites. We are all here to help in our own way to make our hunts just a little easier. As hunters and many of us Vets we owe it to one another to do what we need to enhance our wildernesses and hunting communities making them better place.
Miss Becky made me see those Things. Good luck and good hunting all. Hunter73